Man jailed for slicing off twin's thumb, finger with sword

Jessica Grewal
Senior Reporter APN Newsdesk NSW Bureau
Working from Sydney, Jessica specialises in crime/court reporting, filing for APN’s regional mastheads in Northern NSW as well as providing national content for the group.
She was previously Chief Reporter at the Fraser Coast Chronicle in Hervey Bay, Queensland where she grew up and trained.
Early in her career, she was named Queensland Young Journalist of the Year at the Clarion Awards.
More recently, she was finalist at the 2013 Kennedy Awards for Excellence in NSW Journalism in both the...

AN ASPIRING young television star who sliced his brother with a samurai sword and told him he was going to kill him has been sentenced to three years jail.

In what Callan Wright's defence barrister described as "a tale as old as Cain and Able", twins, trained in martial arts, were lucky to escape with their lives, the night years of bitter rivalry exploded into a sword fight in their mother's Urangan home.

Callan, 23, pleaded guilty in the Hervey Bay District Court to the grievous bodily harm of his brother Jesse.

The court heard Callan was furious at Jesse for not giving him a lift when he rode his bike to his house, banged on his front door and demanded to be let in on Anzac Day this year.

Once inside, Callan punched Jesse, who in return, gouged his eye.

Both picked up samurai swords but for a brief moment "common sense" prevailed and the pair continued to fight with their fists.

It was Callan, who with a "blurred and bleeding eye", picked up the larger, 1m sword and lunged at his unarmed brother.

Jesse was struck in the torso, face and leg but it was a blow to his hand, as he held up a smaller knife to defend himself, which left him with a severed thumb and finger.

A flatmate, who told police he heard Jesse say "put the sword down" and Callan respond "no...this is the end", dialled 000 and Jesse was rushed to hospital.

Callan, who was disqualified from driving at the time, took his mother's car and drove himself to hospital.

Noting Callan's criminal history, which was tainted with violence and threats to "slaughter" others, Judge David Andrews said it appeared he was "a bit in love with the notion of brawling".

He accepted the fight could have had a far worse ending but the community needed protecting from someone with his strength who "goes too far when enraged".